
In traditional poetry, poets tend to develop characters or characteristics to incline the reader into reading forward.  The characters grow quickly in the piece and develop in the reader’s mind. This allows the audience to create their own interpretation of what the poet wants them to think. That’s what makes poetry so beautiful, characters are always up to the reader’s discretion. Mary Oliver does something completely unique in her poem, “The Journey,” by using the word “you” to capture the reader’s attention and bring their individuality into the poem. Yet, she doesn’t stop there; Oliver uses another unique feature in a quote that envelopes a sense of urgency. This feature helps the reader feel the message being conveyed. Yet, after the features Oliver uses in her piece, knowing about her life makes it relatively obvious why she writes this way.   By continuously using the word “you,” and adding the quote, “Mend my life!”(Oliver 6, 92), Oliver is able to bring one’s individual interpretation of the piece to deeper meaning. Thus, distinguishing “The Journey” from many other poems by creating an unknown narrator that magnifies one’s interior personalization, while the use of a quote adds a sense of purpose and urgency; and by taking a step back and looking at Mary Oliver’s life, we can interpret that this poem was written to be related to.   

The word “you” can have many connotations and effect on a piece of work depending on how it used. In “The Journey”, the word “you” contributes to Oliver’s poem’s uniqueness by creating a sense of someone watching you, as if this poem is meant to be a personal memoir. Oliver brings in the feeling that the reader is meant to hear this first hand from someone who has been in and experienced a similar position before. This unknown narrator then gives promise to the reader. They help the reader understand that what they are doing is the correct thing to do and there should be no turning back.

 

“But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do—determined to save the only life you could save” (Oliver Lines 23-36, 92). 

 

This quote signifies what Oliver wants the reader to get, a sense of personalization from an unknown narrator. The quote shows that the reader, and only the reader, can save themselves, that’s what’s in their best interest, to listen to someone who cares and has been there before.

            The word “you” can also grab a speaker’s attention because you’re being spoken to in a very personal way. Oliver grabs the reader right away, saying, “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began…” (Oliver lines 1-2, 92).  What this does is incline the reader to read more and continue to read until they feel resolved which typically occurs at the end of the poem. It pulls the reader in and helps them personalize quickly with what Oliver is trying to convey. This is where interior personalization takes place. When the poem says the word “you”, the reader assumes they are being spoken to directly and immediately tries to relate. With “The Journey”, the narrator speaks to “you” and explains how “you” must only worry about yourself no matter the struggles going on around you or what others might say to sway you from your personal success.

            As one reads a memoir or book, they pull out quotations from what one says within the piece that alters the way the reader perceives the overall message or a character’s development. Yet, Oliver does something many poets do not, using a quote in a poem. Although, it may not seem like much, this quote adds a giant sense of urgency for the reader. Reading the line “Mend my life!” (Oliver 6, 92), makes one realize that what is really necessary is the proverbial mending of one’s life. The reader can infer that the character’s life is in shambles and this creates a sense of urgency. It makes the reader continue to reader to find the resolution in the climax. Yet, this isn’t the only importance of the quote. After rereading the poem multiple times, a reader’s or audience’s attention can continuously can be pulled directly toward the quote, and much like the majority of the poem, it’s incredibly relatable. That’s what the premise of the poem is, to relate and connect with not only the narrator but with yourself. To realize what your true problems are. The quote serves that purpose, it’s the reader saying “Mend my life!” (Oliver 6), once they realize they have their own problems.

While looking analyzing the poem, the reader can find that the entire purpose was to explain struggle. Mary Oliver was born in 1935, where not many women had sufficient means of monetary income, nor rights. Oliver went to college at Ohio University and Vassar College where she did not earn any degrees, but found her niche in writing. After deciding to college and stop pursuing a degree, Oliver decided to travel the world. While in her travels, she met her life partner in Molly Malone Cook. After looking at Oliver’s life, and the time period in which she grew up and found love, one can conclude that this poem is a piece written to describe Oliver’s life and struggle. With not many people accepting of homosexuality in the sixties and seventies, Oliver most likely faced criticism from the general population and her own family. Audiences can identify the struggle and bring it out of Oliver’s work. Bringing them to realize the struggle that she faced was transformed into a piece of work that all can look at and relate to immensely due to struggles and burdens everyone encounters. This allows the reader to personally identify with their own struggles and the contents of the poem. “…though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice—though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug on your ankles” (Oliver lines 3-7). This example may have many meanings to different people, whether it be a struggle or an actual house trembling in a natural disaster; you’re put there by the word “you”, and you’re able to personalize the poem by personalizing its message.

            In conclusion, Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey”, is a very compelling piece. Oliver does many small things within her poem that can really stand out to a reader if they pay close attention to detail and background. Oliver uses the word “you” to create a sense of someone watching you as the reader, and making sure that the reader is able to personalize with the struggle of the narrator. Oliver also uses a quote to create urgency so the reader feels as if the poem will not be resolved until the end, it makes the reader think and continue to read. Yet, the biggest part of the poem is Oliver’s history. She uses her own story to produce a piece in which the reader can relate to specific and genuine struggle much like she did throughout her life.  

 